By Julie Nachman B.S. ED
When it comes to the holidays, it helps to have realistic expectations for how your family is going to spend this time together. How are you going to make it work if your household is affected by ADHD or other conditions associated with ADHD or Autism? The article offers some tips on how to keep the HAPPY in the holidays.

☻ Cool the flare-ups. Adults and children with conditions associated with ADHD often can see symptoms flare-up during stressful times. Reliable routines and consistent schedules can help adults and kids through the holiday when these transitional times create unpredictable behaviors. For more on how to help parents and children cope with ADHD symptom flare-ups go to http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/900.html

☻ Try some new things; one at a time and at a slow pace. Kaboose at http://kabbose.com has many craft ideas, food recipes, games and printables. This website has organized a search for crafts by age level starting with 3 and under, up to teen. Kaboose offers the opportunity to narrow your craft search by allowing you to search by time frame, craft supply, and theme. You will easily find a craft that fits your artistic desire. Stringing popcorn and cranberries and leaving them out for the birds after the holiday can be enjoyable as well. Remember to take is slow and do not become overwhelmed by adding too many projects to your schedule.

☻ Keep it happy not perfect. Martha Stewart amazes me. How does she find the time to dip roasted chestnuts into dark chocolate, wrap them in gold leaf tissue paper and ship them to friends and family? While every organized and perfected detail of Martha’s recipes and crafts look and sound like the perfect holiday treat, let’s be realistic. Our families are pulling at us in many directions these days. Emotions are swinging like a pendulum from one extreme to another and it can be difficult to keep smiling. Consider making one or two candies or treats instead of four or five. Have you heard of cake balls? Delicious, easy, customizable, child-friendly and even a SUPER sensory activity for your kiddos! Several sites claim to have fantastic recipes for gluten-free cake balls as well. Have your cake and eat it too, Martha!

☻ Help for the hurts. Hurtful memories from holidays past may trigger responses that keep us from enjoying the moment. So if you find yourself feeling depressed or overly anxious, seek help from a professional.

☻ Apps to help keep you happy. Plan your schedule but allow “wiggle “room for yourself and your children. Try to avoid over-scheduling. Planning schedules, posting calendars, and marking tasks completed can help make everyone feel more in control. In today’s world of Smart phone devices, there are many apps that allow families to organize their busy lifestyles. ADDitude Magazine has published reviews of Smart phones, Apps, and products for the ADHD kids and adults. Find these reviews at http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/8898-4.html Reward system apps may be a fun way to reinforce positive behavior during a time when routines are disrupted. I have found I Earned That! on the iPhone and Reward Chart on the Android to look promising.

☻ Happy Trails! If you are planning to travel this holiday, provide a map for your child and talk about estimating time for travel. Involve your child in “picturing” the trip; where will they sleep, eat, what relatives will they visit? The more information you provide the better. Can your child journal? Use a tape recorder, notebook or picture notebook for your child to record memories. What fun that would be if they could interview relatives! Search for a helpful article on the 12 Helpful Holiday Travel Tips for people with autism at: http://www.autismservicesfdn.org/resources/happy-holiday-resources/

These tips were formed with input from ADDitude Magazine, Kaboose.com, and The Autism Services Foundation. Don’t stress, have fun, keep it light. Most of all have a wonderful and memorable holiday season!

Join KidWorks’ Neurofeedback clinician, Julie Nachman for an informational night on the conditions associated with ADHD, SPD and high functioning Autism.
Please call 444-7219 to RSVP

EEG Biofeedback is only one of several interventions we will discuss that addresses complex instabilities in the brain. Come and get some answers that make sense and help improve your daily life.

We will look at EEG signatures common with these conditions, discuss strategies to support ADHD, SPD, and high-functioning autism, practical interventions, treatment options, and helpful hints for home and school.

Julie takes a relaxed approach to the neurological phenomenon of the psychological and social features associated with these conditions. She holds a B.S. in Ed., has 10 years teaching experience from young children to adults. Julie is trained in EEG Biofeedback and is currently working towards her (BCIA) certification and completing her Masters degree in Kinesiology through U.T.

]]>https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/train-the-brain/feed/0heidibug8Austin SPD Alliancehttps://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/austin-spd-alliance/
https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/austin-spd-alliance/#respondWed, 06 Apr 2011 01:34:57 +0000http://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/?p=72One of our awesome parents has put together a new website/resource for parents raising children with sensory processing disorder. In addition to promoting awareness of SPD, the Austin SPD Alliance hopes to bring parents together and help them advocate for their children. If you are interested in joining a discussion group for parents, led by a parent, please email info@austinspd.net!

Not in the Austin Area? The SPD Foundation has a list of parent groups across the U.S. , and even in other countries. Go to the SPD Foundation, then click on “Families”, then “Parent Connections”.

]]>https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/austin-spd-alliance/feed/0heidibug8The Proprioceptive Systemhttps://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/the-proprioceptive-system/
https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/the-proprioceptive-system/#respondSun, 03 Apr 2011 21:51:36 +0000http://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/?p=69Check out this awesome video about how the proprioceptive system affects learning and behavior! It’s a great tool for explaining to friends, teachers, relatives about why your child is having difficulty at school or home.
]]>https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/the-proprioceptive-system/feed/0heidibug8Speech & Hearing Screening Dayhttps://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/speech-hearing-screening-day-2/
https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/speech-hearing-screening-day-2/#respondMon, 03 May 2010 13:15:21 +0000http://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/?p=67KidWorks is excited to offer another Speech and Hearing Screening Day right here at our clinic on Saturday, May 15, 2010. It will be hosted by KidWorks’ very own speech therapists.

KidWorks has embarked on a community outreach mission, to educate the community and identify children with speech and language disorders at an early age. Early in-tervention has become an important tool in decreasing the number of children in speech therapy in the school age years.

If you, or anyone you know, are questioning whether or not your young child is meeting his or her speech and language developmental milestones, a screening is pertinent to your child’s future. Or, if your child is school-aged and is showing any difficulties in the following areas, a KidWorks speech-pathologist can help you decide if he or she needs help. Here is a list of possible areas of concern:

Following directions
Being understood
Answering and asking questions
Expressing their wants and needs
Hearing
Frustration when communicating
Interacting with peers
Vocabulary
Diet due to being a picky eater
Eating or swallowing
Stuttering or stammering
School work or grades

If you are interested in a screening, call KidWorks at 444-7219 to schedule an appointment. Screenings will take approximately 15-20 minutes and cost $25 per child.

]]>https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/speech-hearing-screening-day-2/feed/0heidibug8There’s an app for thathttps://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/theres-an-app-for-that/
https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/theres-an-app-for-that/#respondFri, 26 Feb 2010 03:37:42 +0000http://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/?p=59One of the perks of being in Austin (aka “Silicon Hills”) is that we have tons of technological resources. Sometimes those resources are intuitive tech savvy parents. Recently, one of our parents designed two iPhone apps that are a big hit with his daughter, who has sensory processing disorder. Below are descriptions of each app, and he’s provided demo videos of each at the following website:http://web.me.com/coddington/Top/Software.html

LetterTrace (free app)

LetterTrace is a program to help children learn to write who have coordination problems. You can change size of the trace such that just a touch will cause the letter to be drawn, or you need to actually trace the letter to complete it. It’s automatically detected when a character is complete, at which time the character name is heard, and the next character is drawn.

It does the alphabet or numbers from 1 to 99. It does it in both English and Spanish. You can display the letters in upper or lower case. There are two modes, letter trace mode and doodle mode. In doodle mode, you can just draw, albeit with a limited set of colors.

fingerCount (.99 cents):
FingerCount is a game for small children to learn numbers and letters in both English and Spanish.

On the surface, fingerCount is eye and ear candy that allows your child to move characters around on the iPhone/iPod, providing visual and audio feedback which encourages extended play.

On a deeper level, fingerCount is a learning tool that teaches children their numbers while at the same time using the multi-touch iPhone interface to integrate concepts of quantity. It can also be used by anyone to learn Spanish or English by teaching numbers and the alphabet in a fun way.

In addition, fingerCount aids in hand-eye coordination and spatial relationships.

Finally, you can use flexible nature of fingerCount to create games with your child to support creativity and encourage interaction with those around them.

I love that LetterTrace has so many options so kids of all abilities can play and learn! There may not be an app for everything, but it looks like there’s an app for everyone! Way to go!

Just another example of how creative our parents are and a great reminder to us therapists to tap into their ingenuity more often. Are you a parent with a great idea or discovery? It doesn’t have to be something as complex as creating an iPhone app, but we’d love to hear about therapeutic games or equipment you’ve “invented” so we can share them with other parents. Please comment if you do!

]]>https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/theres-an-app-for-that/feed/0heidibug8MellyParents’ Night Out was a Success!https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/parents-night-out-was-a-success/
https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/parents-night-out-was-a-success/#commentsThu, 25 Feb 2010 03:12:00 +0000http://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/?p=55We’re happy to announce that our first Parents’ Night Out was a success! The kids had a blast spending the evening at KidWorks, and the parents had a well-deserved Friday night to themselves. Thank you to all of our UT volunteers for their help, and a big congratulations to Emily Hefft, MOTR/L for putting together a great respite night for our wonderful families.

Keep a look out for the next Parents’ Night Out!

Go KidWorks!

]]>https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/parents-night-out-was-a-success/feed/2heidibug8MellySpeech & Hearing Screening Day!https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/speech-hearing-screening-day/
https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/speech-hearing-screening-day/#respondThu, 07 Jan 2010 17:50:57 +0000http://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/?p=48Mark your calendars! KidWorks will be hosting a Speech & Hearing Screening for children of all ages on Saturday, January 30th, from 8am-3pm.

Communication disorders are among the most common disabilities in the United States. KidWorks has embarked on a community outreach mission, to educate the community and identify children with speech and language disorders at an early age. Early intervention has become an important tool in decreasing the number of children in speech therapy in the school age years.

If you or anyone you know are questioning whether or not your young child is meeting his or her speech and language developmental milestones, a screening is pertinent to your child’s future. Or, if your child is school-aged and is showing any difficulties in the following areas, a KidWorks speech-pathologist can help you decide if he or she needs help. Here is a list of possible areas of concern:

· Following directions

· Being understood

· Answering and asking questions

· Expressing their wants and needs

· Hearing

· Frustration when communicating

· Interacting with peers

· Vocabulary

· Diet due to being a picky eater

· Eating or swallowing

· Stuttering or stammering

· School work or grades

If you are interested in a screening, call KidWorks at 444-7219 to schedule an appointment.

Screenings will take approximately15-20 minutes and cost $25 per child.

Food and drinks will be provided by Central Market.

]]>https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/speech-hearing-screening-day/feed/0heidibug8MellyHealthy Childhttps://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/healthy-child/
https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/healthy-child/#respondFri, 04 Dec 2009 16:14:18 +0000http://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/?p=45HealthyChild.org is a great site with a variety of resources for creating a safe and happy home for your family. Follow their 5 easy steps to creating a healthy environment:

]]>https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/healthy-child/feed/0heidibug8Feeling Overwhelmed?https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/feeling-overwhelmed/
https://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/feeling-overwhelmed/#respondMon, 28 Sep 2009 16:31:12 +0000http://kidworkstherapy.wordpress.com/?p=43Parenting is a rewarding but overwhelming job. Parenting a child with special needs can feel even more overwhelming. That’s where the SpecialNeedsParentCoach comes in. This website/blog can be a great tool for parents. Parents can purchase a membership for more intensive support or take advantage of free telemseminars. The next teleseminar topics is “Planning for the Future When You Have a Child with Special Needs” – which willbe held next month on October 14. For more info click here.

I think Joan Celebi’s Sample Morning Checklist is a great way to integrate a morning routine. Starting off on the right foot can really impact the rest of a child’s (and your) day. I love that the checklist only gives times for the first and last activity, which can be helpful for those children who are anxious (“We’re going to be late for #__”) or are literal (“We can’t do that, it’s not ___ o’clock yet).